Wisconsin swingman Khalil Iverson (21) is congratulated by teammates following a dunk against Ohio State during the first half in which he scored 10 of the Badgers' 26 points. Joseph Maiorana, Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Buckeyes forward Justin Ahrens tries to get the crowd going after hitting one of his 3 three-pointers during Ohio State's second half comeback against Wisconsin on Saturday. Joseph Maiorana, Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Badgers guard Brad Davison goes to the floor after being fouled by the Buckeyes' Keyshawn Woods (right) during overtime. Davison made both free throws to give UW a 71-67 lead at the time. Joseph Maiorana, Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The path the Badgers used to get there Sunday was part stunning, part infuriating and part remarkable.

Let's review the ride the Badgers took their coaches and fans on during a surreal 73-67 overtime victory over Ohio State at the Schottenstein Center:

After shooting just 35.5 percent in the opening half, the Badgers hit 6 of their first 7 shots to open the second half, built a 23-point lead with 16 minutes 5 seconds left in regulation; saw the Buckeyes use a 27-5 run to forge a 63-63 tie on C.J. Jackson's shot with 36 seconds left; and then withstood a pair of three-point attempts, an airball by Jackson and a desperation heave by Keyshawn Woods from beyond halfcourt after a steal, in the final 1.3 seconds to sneak into overtime.

"From my view, it looked like it was getting ready to go in," UW senior Khalil Iverson said of Woods' shot. "But luckily it didn't."

Iverson then scored back-to-back baskets midway through the overtime period to give the Badgers a 67-64 lead, one they built on by hitting 6 of 11 free throws in the extra period.

"One thing we could control is that we’ve got five more minutes," sophomore guard Brad Davison said when asked about the vibe in the huddle before the start of overtime. "New life. New game. At that moment, those five minutes were the only thing that mattered.

"I think it would have been really easy for us to put our tails between our legs, put our heads down and get blown out in overtime."

With a double-bye, UW is set to open the Big Ten tournament at approximately 2 p.m. Friday in Chicago against either fifth-seeded Maryland or the winner of the first-round game between No. 12 Rutgers and No. 13 Nebraska.

The Badgers probably wouldn't have escaped with a victory if not for the magnificent play of Iverson.

He helped UW build a 26-16 halftime lead with 10 points, seven rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes. He finished with 22 points, on 10-for-14 shooting, 14 rebounds and one assist. Iverson, according to a UW official, had no double-doubles in his first 130 college games. He has two in his last two games.

"He was terrific today," Gard said. "He has been great the last month…I’ve watched his approach. I’ve watched the look on his face, the look in his eyes."

Senior Ethan Happ, who tweaked his right ankle in the opening minute of the game and was wearing an ice bag on it afterward, acknowledged he was gassed in the overtime. Yet he contributed 18 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

"It’s going to tough watching the film," Happ said. "But the take-home message is we got what we came here to do done.

"It is a little concerning that we gave up that huge lead and weren’t able to close but we finished fourth in the Big Ten and that’s what we came here to do."

Wisconsin guard Khalil Iverson goes up for a shot against Ohio State forward Andre Wesson during the first half in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.(Photo: Associated Press)

Davison, 2 for 13 from three-point range and 4 for 22 overall in the previous three games, hit 3 of 6 three-pointers and 4 of 9 shots overall for 14 points. He hit two free throws to give UW a 71-67 lead with 25.9 seconds left in the game.

D'Mitrik Trice added eight points and Brevin Pritzl added six and four rebounds, though Trice hit just 2 of 8 three-pointers and 2 of 11 shots overall.

Jackson led Ohio State with 22 points. He banked in a three-pointer to spark the 27-5 to close regulation but the Buckeyes (18-13, 8-12) suffered their third consecutive loss, all without suspended center Kaleb Wesson (14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg).

"I think in some cases, backs are to the wall," Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann said of his team's late surge, "and in some ways, there is more of a freedom you play with."

UW held a 58-36 lead before Jackson's big three-pointer. In their final 13 possessions of regulation, the Badgers hit 1 of 8 shots, 3 of 4 free throws and suffered four turnovers.

"We made some mistakes defensively, got out of character offensively in terms of shot selection and pace of play and turnovers," Gard said. "We’ll learn a lot from the tape. But as I told the guys, we’ve got to be a lot better than that or we won’t dance long this month."